WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — Officials with the Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) announced June 27th they “discovered that WCLS email and phone servers have been compromised by an outside organization.” At the time, it was said, “Patron data in the online catalog is secure.”
Yesterday, July 21st, WCLS posted to their website that some patron names, date of birth and barcode and PINs were in files that were downloaded by “an unknown actor.”
On June 26, 2022, WCLS identified unusual activity on its computer network. In response, WCLS is investigating the activity to determine its nature and scope. Although the investigation remains ongoing, WCLS identified certain files that were downloaded by an unknown actor. WCLS reviewed the files and provided written notice to the individuals identified during the review of those files.Whatcom County Library System website (July 21, 2022)
WCLS says they have updated the PINs for those patrons with compromised library services accounts and provided notifications.
All patrons may wish to proactively update their library account PIN out of an abundance of caution according to WCLS officials.